“To put simply, fraud”: xQc slams talent agencies on Twitch for inflating streamers’ views through botting

Twitch streamer Felix “xQc” recently brought attention to alleged view-botting practices involving talent agencies and streamers on the platform, calling them "fraud". His comments, shared through a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on August 23, 2025, followed Twitch’s recent steps to address bot-related activity.

"I’ve been thinking, WHY orgs would bot heavily? Then the answer seemed almost obvious. Talent agencies receive a % from ad streams their talent does. By inflating their streamers they can sell massive ad packages in bulk and take in much higher sums. To put simply, fraud," xQc mentioned.

xQc calls out groups and organizations on Twitch for botting their viewers after the platform’s new update removed some viewbots

“Talent agencies receive a % from ad streams their talent does. By inflating their streamers they can sell massive ad packages in bulk and take in… pic.twitter.com/idLmShe9ZO

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 23, 2025

xQc points to suspicious view-botting patterns on Twitch

At the end of July 2025, Twitch rolled out new rules to crack down on automated bots. These bots are used to fake higher viewership or inflate engagement numbers.

Twitch explained that their improved detection methods aim to find and reduce such tricks. This type of activity messes with audience stats and the value of advertising.

After this, xQc said some groups could use view-botting to boost how their streamers look stats-wise. He explained that inflated viewer counts help agencies land bigger ad deals since higher numbers give ads and sponsored content a fake sense of value. He called this tactic dishonest towards advertisers and harmful to the streaming world as a whole.

xQc also highlighted that recent enforcement actions by Twitch revealed patterns in how bots were being used. He noted that streamers associated with larger groups or agencies appeared to show a higher rate of irregular activity.

He suggested that this practice negatively impacts smaller content creators, as inflated numbers reduce the discoverability of those with organic audiences. Lower visibility, in turn, can affect income opportunities for emerging streamers.

xQc backed up his concerns using data he found on TwitchTracker, an independent analytics site. He highlighted cases where certain streamers experienced sudden jumps in viewership, going from about 100 daily viewers to a few thousand overnight.

He noted these unusual patterns have reportedly lasted for years and sometimes lined up with streams tied to sponsorship deals.

Twitch hasn’t addressed these specific allegations yet. However, the platform stated its commitment to cutting down on view-botting.

Twitch has long argued that faking viewer numbers harms the accuracy of its data and damages advertisers' trust. As Twitch implements its new detection methods, the extent to which these measures will address the issue of inflated viewership remains to be seen.